Hi James

If you are struggling to secure an advertised role, consider agency work. That's how I got a break. The assignment wasn't in HR but by speaking with an influential person and doing my job well they offered me my first permanent HR role and I have never looked back - once experience is on your CV it becomes easier.

Also start your professional networking - the local CIPD branch is a great place to start.

Good luck

Jo

In reply to Jo:

Hi All,

I have recently obtained my CIPD Level 3 and I currently work in the recruitment sector. However, progression in my current role is limited.

I am trying to get move from recruitment into a HR admin-based career as I believe this will have a more structured career path but feel I have limited experience for the roles I see advertised despite having obatined my Level 3.

HR Assistant roles would mean taking a drop in pay - which isn't an affordable option at the moment - and I have considered voluntary work to try to gain the experience I need. As it turns out, voluntary opportunities tend to take place within office hours and therefore coincide with my current work commitments!

Is there anything at all you can suggest for gaining more HR experience?

I have created a list of the skills I need to brush up on but am struggling to find a way of gaining the experience I need.

Thanks in advance for your help.

You will find a host of answers to people with similar queries. But perhaps I could put a question back to you that I often want to ask people in your situation:

What possessed you to pursue a Masters in HRM without having any actual experience in operational HR?

The problem facing you is that you are over-qualified to enter employment at ground level, but under-experienced to enter employment at a management level. The not-unreasonable fear that a recruiter is going to have is that, once you have a little experience, you will abandon your role for a more senior one. Generally, when I'm looking for a new HR Assistant or Administrator, I'm hoping to find someone I can develop over 2-3 years, after which I will wave them on to greater things with a smile. If I thought you were going to dump me in six months with little interest in the development I can offer you, I'd be very unlikely to offer you that entry-level opportunity.

Although I rarely recommend lying on a CV, you may be best off removing your MSc from your CV. Entry-level HR roles don't require any formal qualifications beyond literacy, numeracy and a familiarity with the surface operations of a typical PC.

That said, I held a Level 7 qualification through my military service and it was very hard to find a civilian employer willing to take a risk on my lack of knowledge of the civilian workplace, so I do have some understanding of your position. My solution was to temp. An employer who doesn't expect you to hang around more than 3-6 months to cover a temporary vacancy isn't going to care that you're over-qualified for the job because long-term retention and development isn't a problem. Once you have one or two temp contracts under your belt, people aren't likely to worry too much about how long they were: you've got that foot in the door and, if you find an employer in a similar sector, they will be more open to your application.

I just wanted to back up what other people about temping. That's how I got into HR, I did a little bit of non-HR temp work then was lucky to get a 3 month temp role as an HR Admin. I ended up staying for 2 and a half years.